The Necklace
by LunaInTheSky
Summary: Christmas in the common room- a short fluff between Lily and James. Set during Sixth year. One shot.


**I know it's early for this, but I felt the need for some Holiday Fluff. Thus, this story was born. Here you go:**

"Hey Potter, what the hell is this?"

It was Christmas morning in the Gryffindor common room, and Lily Evans had just strode in, with a necklace on the palm of her hand.

James Potter grinned. "Like it? It made me think of you. Merry-" She marched over to him and dropped it into his lap, glaring hard.

"Stop. Giving. Me. Stuff."

"Geez, sorry. What's the big deal? I like it." He stood up and pocketed the jewelry.

"The deal is I'm not your girlfriend! Don't buy me things! I don't need you to- I don't want you to!"

"I thought I was being nice!"

"I don't NEED you to be nice!"

"Then tell me what you do need!"

"I need to be left alone!"

"Why the hell are you so stubborn?!"

"Why are you such an arse?!"

The other Gryffindors tried in vain to become invisible. Sirius, staring hard at the fire, was suppressing a grin remembering advising James against the gift. Remus, inwardly sighing at James' mistake and Lily's quick temper, was inspecting the Christmas tree with the Gryffindor girls. With the brewing war, most of the students were home for the holidays. The upperclassmen, however, decided to stay. All beside Peter, who was home visiting his ill mother. The seventh years were still in bed, leaving the sixth years to the common room.

"I honestly don't know why I even try with you, Lily! What have I done to get you so mad?!"

Her eyes almost popped out of her head. "What have you DONE?!" She shrieked.

"Yes!" He was just as fired up now. "In the past year, what have I done? I changed my entire act for you, Lily! I grew up! What else do you want?"

"You poor baby- having to stop bullying people! I don't like you, Potter! Get that through your head!_ I can do better!_"

James took a step away from her, clearly stung.

Julia looked up at the other boys. "So... Great Hall." She muttered, and they all stood and filed out of the room quickly. Sirius whistling nonchalantly for the pure joy of making everyone else uncomfortable.

"Get," Remus hissed, pushing him through the portrait hole and swinging it closed behind himself, last to leave.

"No, you can't."

Lily had turned around to go back to her room, but stopped. She turned her head toward James. "I'm sorry?"

He was starring back at her, almost limp looking. His eyes were hollow. "I said you can't do better than me." Slowly he started walking to her, letting out what had been boiling inside since September. "You think you're so damn special. And I do, too. Whether you acknowledge it or not, I do. That's what's so great about me. You can find a guy who is better looking, or is smarter, or has more money, or whatever." He was next to her now, desperately searching her green eyes for some feeling. " But no one will love you as much."

"I don't." She said, and it was his turn to look confused. "I don't 'think I'm so damn special'. You were wrong."

He stepped very close to her then. Their chests were almost touching. "Why not?" he asked.

"Why would I?" She scoffed, but he could tell now that it was an act.

"You're the top in our class," he reminded her.

"There are more important things-"

"You're one of the bravest girls I've ever met."

"We're in Gryffindor-"

He raised his eyebrows. "So is Peter. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." He waited a beat for her to interrupt again, but she made no move to, watching his eyes carefully, and seeing the light of the fire reflected in his glasses. "You're everything to me, and if you can't see that, then I've done something wrong and I'm very sorry. I'm in love with you, truly. You don't have to love me back- just accept that you're wonderful enough that a bloke - even a prat, like me- would want to spend every moment with you."

She laughed weakly. "What a line. You can date anyone, James, and you know it. I'm just the last name to be checked on your list of girls to shag-" James wasn't fooled, though. He could see the slight tears in her eyes.

He took that opportunity to kiss her. It was gentle and slow. Just his lips on hers. He hoped the kiss would tell her everything he felt, the things she would never believe, but he'd always meant.

When he pulled back from her, she only stared at him for a moment.

Then, she smiled – a real, truly happy smile. To know that he was the man who brought it there gave James Potter one hell of a warm fuzzy feeling. "Can I have my necklace back, please?" She asked.

He grinned and said "Allow me." Lily turned, and he took the necklace out of his pocket and clipped it around her neck.

"It's so beautiful." she told him honestly, looking down at the silver charm hanging from the chain. A silver stag._  
_

**Hello, reader. If you're seeing this, I'd like to thank you for sitting through my whole, cheesy story!**

**If you'd leave a review, I *might* just drop a line by one of your stories... ;) **

**That's right, I'm bribing your review with one for me. Childish, but hopefully effective.**

**By the way, the necklace looks like this, in case you're wondering.**

** listing /64307958 /deer- necklace- forest- buck- deer- silver **

**(delete the spaces)**


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